Radiant energy detector



Jan. 18, 1949. w. sAcKVlLLE 2,459,185

RADIANT ENERGY DETECTOR Filed June 25, 1938 In v Entmtr William Sackvljla @www l Patented Jan. 1.8, 1949 RADIANT ENERGY DETECTOR William Sackville, Berkeley, Calif., assignor to the United States of Americafasrepresented by the Secretary of War Application .lune 23, 1938, Serial No. 215,509

sclaims. (c1.25o-s3.3) I (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as'

amended April 30, 1928;'370 OJG. 757) This invention described herein may be manuiactured and med by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to radiant energi7 detectors.

Group I consists of non-selective radiometers such as the thermopile,v Which functions upon thermal conditions independently of the (frequency) Wave length of stimulus.

Group II includes resistance cells such as the thalode cell, which have the property of decreasing in electrical resistance when exposed to radiant energy of short Wave lengths, the character of the phenomenon depending entirely upon the Wave length of the radiant energy stimulus.

Group III includes substances called photoelectric cells which when charged tog negative potential in any evacuated chamber, lose their charge when exposed to light of short Wave length.

Group IV consists of substances which when exposed to radiant energy become fluorescent or phosphorescent.

Group V consists of substances which undergo a chemical change when exposed to radiant energy, such as the deposit of silver on a photographic plate.

An object of this invention is to provide a detector in which a multiple cell tube containing any material sensitive to radiant energy may be used.

Another object of this invention is to balance out an equal energy background of sky effect Within adjacent portions of a eld of view.

The invention also contemplates novel means for indicating the reception of Vradiant energy on the sensitive cells.

One practical embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a multicell tube;

Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively rear and iront elevations thereof;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a modified form;

Fig. 5- is a diagrammatic view of the complete detector;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration. of the detector tube and its mounting showing the positive and negative leads extending from the detector tube;

Fig.. 'l isa diagrammatic view illustrating the oppositely disposed quadrants a-a, b-b, their Instruments for detecting radiant energy arel divided into ve groups.

inner and outer electrodes, the marginal and central electrodes ofthe modification shown in Fig. 4, the electrical connections between saidmarginal and central electrodes and the inner and outer electrodes of the quadrants, and also the electrical connections betweensaid marginal and central electrodes and the grid and lament circuits of one ofthe triodes of the amplifier system shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference:

. There is provided an evacuated container 5, which is of the conventional tube type, having a base casing E encircling insulating material 1.

Within the tube, and preferably situated toward its forward end. is a disk 8' of insulating material, formed on its exposed face With radially disposed ribs 9` dividingan outer circular portion of the faceI of the disk into oppositely disposed quadrants z`-a and b-b respectively.

Material IU sensitive to radiant energy is disposed in each ,quadrant and conned therein between inner and outer electrodes II and I2 respectively. The inner electrodes II are connected to a lead Wire I3y While the outer electrodes have individual lead Wires I4. The leads pass through and are Sealed in the insulation 'I of the base and terminate in binding posts I5 and I6.

Referring to the modified form` shown in Fig. 4, a body of material I'I sensitive to radiant energy, conveniently of circular formation, is placed on the central portion of the disk 8 within the electrodes I I and provided with a central electrode I and a marginal electrode I9.v In this arrangement the central electrode I8 is electrically connected with. the outer electrodes I2, While the marginal electrode I9 is electrically `connected with the inn-er electrodes II, as clearly shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings, otherwise the electrical connections for the modification under discussion are the same as hereinafter to be described in connection With the preferred form` of the instant invention. By. constructing and electrically connecting the central and marginal electrodes of the tube in this manner, a more positive indication of the centering of the tube on the object is afforded.

While the response of the cells to radiant energy may be indicated by any Well known device for indicating the flow of electric energy, the system shown diagrammatically, in Fig. 5 is preferred.

In Fig. 5 the quadrants a-d and b--b of the tube or container 5 are shown with their electrodes II and I2., lead Wires I3 and I4 and binding posts I5 and I6. A source oi electric current supply 2l) has its minus terminal connected to' 3 sitive to radiant energy annularly arranged in tion Will prevent the needles 25 of the tWoeW-ay reading galvanometers 26-26 drifting from theirk zero positions due to temperature and other minor changes in circuit, while at the same time, they will cause movement of the needles due to recep-v tion of an unequal amount of energy stimulus upon the faces of the paired segments. Thus the A galvanometer Will be activated only when a varying voltage is applied to one of the two paired grids of the amplifier tubes.

(.Efa'lvanometers V26-26 are connected across the plates of respective pairs of tubes through lead VWires 2'i-2l and 28-f28. Resistances 29, herein shown as of 100,000 ohms, one connected to the respective'lwires 27 and 28 'and to a lead Wire 30 from the plus terminal of a battery 3i, the other tions, an indicator connected across the plates of each pair of tubes, means for supplying current to the laments and means for supplying current tothe plates.

i 2. The combination with a radiant energy detector including a container, and a plurality of oppositely paired spaced segments of material senthe container; of a pair of triodes for each pair of oppositely spaced segments, electrical connections between the outer marginal portionof the segments andthe grids of the triodes, means interposed in said connections to prevent a permanent change in grid bias While permitting avary-v ing circuit voltage to pass to the grid, connections between the inner marginal portions of the segments'and the filaments of the triodes, a source of direct current electrical supply connected to the grid and filament connections, an indicator terminal in which battery is connected through wire 32 to the binding post I5.

The minus terminals of thelaments of the in azimuth and elevation by means of a conveny tional mounting B, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. In this position, the 'paired segments a,-a and b-b are exposed to adjacent portions of the eld of View. When this eld is composed of an equal energy background, no contrast exists as between the adjacent portions of the fieldof View,

v and the sensitive material of each segments will receive an equal amount'of energy stimulus. They background may be represented by the natural sky or by an artificial sky (radiant background) produced by placing energy therein. In either case, an equal energy background will produce no directional effect in the multicell. However, when an object appears in one portion of the eld of View of the receiver mirror, segments of the multicell will receive an unequal amount of energy stimulus; thus producing a manifestation of directional effect in the galvanometer.

I claim: y

1. The combination with a radiant energy detector including a container, an insulated support in the container, a plurality of oppositely paired spaced segments of material sensitive to radiant energy annularly arranged on the support, electrodes on the inner and outer marginal portions ofthesegments, and lead wires for the electrodes; of a pair lof triodes for each pair of oppositely spaced segments, electrical connections between the outer electrodes'of the segments and grids on the triodes, means interposed in said connections to prevent a permanent change in grid bias while permitting a varying circuit voltage to pass to the grid, connections between the inner electrodes of the segmcntsand the filaments of the triodes, a source of direct current electrical supply connected `to the `grid and filament connecconnected across the plates of each pair of triodes, means for supplying current to the filament and means including a resistance for each plate for supplying current to the plates.

3. The combination with'a radiant energy detector including acontainer, `and a plurality of oppositely paired spaced segments of material sensitive lto radiant energy annularly arranged in.

the container; of a -pair of amplifying tubes for each pair of oppositely spaced segments, electrical connections between the outer marginal portions of the segments andthe grids of the amplifiers, connections between the inner marginal portions of segments and the filaments of the amplifiers, a source of .direct current electrical supply connected to the grid and filament connections, an indicator connected across the plates-of each pair of ampliers, means for supplying current to the filamentsof the ampliers and means including a resistance for each plate for supplying current to the plates. I

4'. The combination with a radiant energy detector including a container, an insulated support within the container, a plurality of oppositely paired spaced segments of material sensitive to radiant energy annularly arranged on the support, electrode's'on the inner and outer marginal portions of the segments, a ybody of material sensitive to radiant energy carried by the support within the segments, a central and a marginal electrode on said body; of a pair of triodes for each vpair of oppositely spaced segments, electrical connections between the outer electrodes of the segments, the central electrode of said bodyand the grids of the triodes, connections between the inner electrodes of the segments, the marginal electrode of said body and the filaments of the` paired spaced segments of material sensitive to y radiant energy annularlyarranged on the support, electrodes on the Ainner and outer marginal portions of the segments, a body of material sensitive to radiant energy carried by the support j within the segments, a central and a marginal Velectrode on said body; of apair of triodes for each pair of oppositely spaced segments, electrical connections between'the outer' electrodes of the segments,- the central electrode of'. said body and the grids of the triode's, means interposed in said connections to prevent a permanent change in grid bias while permitting a varying circuit voltage to pass to the grid, connections between the inner electrodes of the segments, the marginal electrode of said body and the filaments of the triodes, a source of direct current electrical supply connected to the grid and filament connections, an indicator connected across the plates of each pair of triodes, means for supplying current to the iilaments and means for supplying current to the plates.

6. The combination with means for collecting and focusing radiant energy from a distant body, and detector means disposed within the focal region of the collected energy, said means including a container and a plurality of oppositely paired spaced segments of material sensitive to radiant energy annularly arranged within the container; oi means in electrical relation with the segments for balancing out the eiTect of background radiation When said segments receive an equal amount of energy stimulus and for indicating changes in background radiation when said segments receive an unequal amount of energy stimulus, said means including a pair of amplifying tubes for each pair of oppositely spaced segments, electrical connections between the outer marginal portion of the segments and the grids of the amplifiers, connections between the inner marginal portions of the segments and the 'filaments of the ampliers, a source of direct current electrical supply for the grid and lament connections, an indicator connected across the plates of each pair of amplifiers, means for supplying current to the lament and means including a resistance for each plate for supplying current to the plates.

WILLIAM SACKVILLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,343,393 Hoffman June 15, 1920 1,401,644 Rice Dec. 27, 1921 1,872,975 Kolster Aug. 23, 1932 2,075,094 Chubb Mar. 30, 1937 

